Fluid control valve



Oct. 14, 1952 W, A, RAY 2,613,682

FLUID CONTROL VALVE Original Filed May 20, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 4M Pas. EUR/YE? O/Y (Fly. 2414) l, Snvelxtor,

h//LL/AMA @AK Gttorneg Oct. 14, 1952 w. A. RAY

FLUID CONTROL VALVE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed May 20, 1941 nnentor, h//LUAM A PAV 2./ m, Gttorneg Oct. 14, 1952 W, A, RAY 2,613,682

FLUID'CONTROL VALVE Original Filed May 20, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Littornej Patented Oct. 14, 1952 FLUID CONTROL VALVE William A. Ray, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor to General Controls Co., a corporation Original application May 20, 1941, Serial No. 394,338, issued as Patent No. 2,381,926, dated August 14, 1945, and reissued as Patent No. 23,077, January 11, 1949. Divided and this application June 29, 1945, Serial No. 602,362

4 Claims. 1

This invention relates to control apparatus; the present application being a division of my c0- pending application Serial No. 394,338, filed May 20, 1941, issued August 14, 1945, as Patent No. 2,381,926 and reissued J anuaryll, 1949, as Patent No. Re. 23,077, and is directed to improvements in fluid control valves of the type wherein a pair of ports are provided for passage of iiuid through the valve.

When a valve of the character described is employed in connection with conventional gas-consuming heating apparatus, the ,individual ports serve to supply fuel to the main burner and the pilot burner; an object of the invention then being to provide means for opening the pilot-burner port, and means responsive to a resultant condition (such as the existence of flame at the pilot burner) whereby the main-burner port can then be opened and closed, but only while said condition exists.

Another object of the invention is to provide, in a valve of the character described in the preceding object, means for closing both of the ports in response to cessation of said condition.

For full understanding of the invention, and further appreciation of its objects and advantages, reference is to be had to the following detailed description and accompanying drawing, and to the appended claims.

In the drawing: i

Figure l is a front elevation of a uid control valve embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is a vertical section taken along the line 2-2' of Fig. 1 showing the parts in their fully-actuated positions; the section plane of Fig. 2 being indicated also in Fig. 4 by the line 2 2;

Figure 3 is a View similar to that of Fig. 2 but showing the parts in their normaler unactuated, positions; y

Figure 4 is a vertical section taken generally along the line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary view similar to that of Fig. y4 but showing the parts in the positions which they assume .at an intermediate point of actuation;

Figure 6is a fragmentary section taken generally along the line 6-6 of Fig. 3';

Figure 7 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken along the line 'I--l of Fig. 2;

Figure 8 is a chart indicating the relative angu- I lar positions of the actuating member at various points of actuation; and

Figure 9 is a generally-diagrammatic view of a gas burner control system including the valve shown in the other figures.

In the dravsdng, the numeral II indicates a valve casing having an inlet I2 and an outlet I3 separated by a partition I4, in an opening in which is threaded a valve-seat member I5. Provided over an opening in theupper surface of the casing is a cover member I6. Extending from a right-hand upper surface of `the cover (Figs. 2

and 3) is an elongated bracket I1. As best seenA in Fig. 7, the thickened upper portion I8 of the bracket is bored to receive a shaft I9, to a reduced right-hand portion of which is secured, by a nut 20, an indicating disk 2 I. Pressed on a left-hand squared portion 29 of shaft I9 is a cam plate 22. The length of the portion of shaft I9 between the disk 2| and cam plate 22 is such that the shaft is freely rotatable in the bracket portion I8. Secured to the reduced right-hand extremity of shaft -I 9 is a knob 23 for manual actuation of the device. The shaft is biased in a clockwise direction, as viewed from the back in Figs. 4, 5 and 6, by a torsion spring 24 secured at one end to the bracket I1 and at its other end to the cam plate, pins 25 and 26 on the cam plate limiting the rotation of the shaft by respective engagement with a lug 21 extending from the upper surface of the bracket portion I8.

Fre ely fitting on a reduced cylindrical left-hand end portion of shaft I9 is an idler gear 28, axial movement of which is limited by the shoulder of squared portion 29 and a nut 30 threaded on the left-hand extremity of shaft I9. Interposed between the gear and the nut, and freely fitting on shaft I9, is a plate 3|, the outer end of which is bent to provide a U-shaped portion 32 which serves to maintain, intermeshed Iwith a portion of gear 28, a gear rack 33 provided on the upper end of a rod 34. The lower end portion of this rod extends through, and is guided in, a thickened portion of the cover member I6 and carries at its bottom a main closure member 35 cooperable with the seat member I5. Biasing rod 34 downwardly, and the closure member toward its seat, is a compression spring 36.

Pivoted on a pin 46 extending from the lefthand, or rear, surface of cam plate 22 is a gear segment 4I which intermeshes with another portion of idler gear 28. Integral with and extending from a rear portion of the segment is a finger 42. When the shaft I'9 is rotated from its normal position shown in Figs. 3 and 6, to Which it is biased by spring 24, gear segment 4I is rotated about its pivot since the 'idler gear 28 is held from rotation by the engagement therewith of rack 33, which in turn is restrained from movement by the force of bias spring 36. It is thus seen that when segment 4| can revolve freely around gear 28, rotation of shaft 9 does not effect actuation of the closure rod 34; the gear, rack, and segment constituting eifectively a planetary gear system. It will be understood therefore that in order to effect actuation of the closure member it is necessary to modify the movement of segment 4I relative to gear 28 to place the segment in driving relation to the gear; means for so doing hereinafter being described.

Extending from the upper surface of cover I8 is a pair of brackets 45, the upper ends of which serve to support a rod 46. Pivoted on this rod, with their respective opposite-end supporting ear portions 54', 55', and 56 in abutting relation, are three relatively-movable levers 54, 55 and 5S. Carried by the extremity of the upper A-shaped arm-portion 41 of lever 54 is a disk-shaped armature member 48, rockably mounted thereon and cooperable with the pole faces of a U-shaped core 49, on one leg of which is provided an energizing .coil 50, theA leads of which extend to terminals 52 insulatingly mounted in a side wall of a housing 53 provided for the enclosure of the parts. The electromagnet, comprising core 49 and coil V5U, is rigidly mounted on a bent upper extension of the bracket I1. The lower end arm portion 51 of llever 54 is bent laterally below its pivot on rod 46 and is provided with upwardly-turned portions 58 and 59 between which a roller 6|) is pivotally mounted on a pin 8|. Roller 60 normally rests on the lower righthand concentric edge portion of cam plate 22 as viewed in Fig. 6. When the plate 22 is rotated from: its normal position as shown in Fig. 5

6, the roller is depressed by its engagement with an eccentric projection 62 formed on the edge of the plate, thereby `rocking lever 54 so that its arm 41 assumes a vertical position (as shown in Fig. 2) with armature 48 in engagement with core 49. If the ycore 49 is energized the armature 48 will be magnetically retained in engagement therewith, thereby holdingr lever 54 against the force of a spring 63 compressed against arm 51 of this lever. l

In the movement of arm 41 to its vertical position, lever is carried therewith, the upper portion of this lever normally being held in engagementV with the cross-bar 64 of arm 41 by the force of a spring 65 compressed between the upper end of lever 55 and a bracket S6 turned-up from the arm 41. Riveted to the cross-bar 64 of arm 41 is a laterally-extending pin 61, the free end of which, when arm 41 is in vertical position, is adapted to be engaged by the finger 42 of segment 4I in the rotation of plate 22. Riveted to an intermediate upper portion of lever 55 and extending through the opening below cross-bar 84 .of arm 41 'is a. pin 68, rectangular in cross-section, the free end of which is adapted to be engaged by either of catches 69 or 1D, formed on the rear surface of cam plate 22, when this plate is rotated and arm 41 is in vertical position with lever 55 held in engagement therewith, as will further be described in connection with the operation of the device.

The other lever 56 comprises a horizontal arm 15 (best seen in Fig. 7) the Ifree end portion of which is upwardly bent to provide a nger 1G which is adapted to `engage the undersurface of an additional cam 11 formed as an extension of the front surface of plate 22. Engaging the underside of arm 15 is the upper end of a supplemental valve stem 18 which extends downwardly through an opening in the cover I6 and is provided at its lower end with a supplemental valve head 19 cooperable with a valve seat formed around an opening 8| in the bottom of a thickened portion of the cover. The opening 8| communicates by a passageway 82 with the periphery of the cover I6, a tting 83 being provided for connecting the supplemental valve to supply fuel to a pilot burner 84 shown in Fig. 9. The supplemental valve head 19 is urged to closed position by a spring 85 compressed between gland nut 8B and a washer secured to the upper end of stem 18; the force of this spring also serving to hold finger 16 in a position wherein it is just out of engagement with the underside of the right-hand reduced concentric portion of cam 11. In Fig. 9, the device is shown connected to supply fuel to pilot burner 84 and to a main burner 81; a thermoelectric device 88, comprising a plurality of thermocouples the hot junctions of which are heated by the pilot burner flame 98, being provided for the energization of electromagnet coil 50.

Assuming that the device is connected as shown in Fig. 9 and that the pilot-burner flame is extinguished, the parts will be in the positions shown in Figs. 3 and 6 due to the deenergization ofv coil 50. To initiate operation of the burner system, knob 23 is turned in the direction of its arrow so that plate 22 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Figs. 4, 5 and 6. In the rotation of knob 22, successive legendbearing portions of disk 2| become visible through a window 89 formed in the front wall of housing 53. These legends are shown in Fig. 1 andare intended for the guidance of the operator in setting the device. When, in initiation of operation, the legend Pilot on appears, the knob is manually retained in that position, the various parts 'being in the positions shown in Fig. 5 with the supplemental valve head 19 in open position due to the engagement of nger 16 with the enlarged concentric portion of cam 11, which engagement effected downward movement of the supplemental valve stem through arm 15. In the movement of the parts to Pilot on position, by the engagement of cam projection 62 with roller 60, arm 41 was brought to vertical position with armature 48 in engagement with core 49. Gas now flowing to the pilot burner 84 is lighted and, when the thermoelectric device 88 has become suiiiciently heated to generate current in an amount sufficient to cause core 449 to magnetically hold armature 48, the knob may be released. When this is done, the parts, under the influence of spring 24, tend to vreassume their normal positions. However, movement in that direction is arrested by the engagement of catch 10 on plate 22 with the pin 68, which pin was moved into engaging position when arm 41 was brought to vertical position and is now magnetically retained in that position due to the force of spring 65 which holds lever 55l (to which pin 68 is attached) in engagement with arm 41. With'the parts in the positions now assumed, finger 16 still being on the enlarged portion of cam 11, fuel continues to ow to the pilot burner, which condition is indicated by the appearance of the legend Pilot lit in the window.

If, for some reason, it should now be desirable to extinguish the pilot burner, this may be done by depressing a push-button 9| provided in an v opening (Fig. 7) formed .in the outer end portion of stem I9 to which vknob 2S is secured. This button is mounted on a rod 92 which extends through a central bore in stem I9 and is provided beyond the left-hand end of the stem with a head 93 which is adapted to engage an upper end portion of lever 5'5, the head passing through an open area of arm 41. Button 9| is biased outwardly by a spring 94 compressed between the button and a shoulder formed at the inner end of opening 95. When arm 41 is in its magnetically-held position, depression of pushbutton 9| moves lever 55 with respect to arm' 41 against the bias of spring 65 so that pin 68 is moved out of engagement with catch 10, thereby permitting the parts to return to their normal position which is then indicated by the legend Oi Finger 16 now being out of engagement with the enlarged portion of cam 11, the supp-lemental valve is closed. Due to the resultant extinction of the pilot-burner'flame, the thermoelectric device starts to cool. However, under ordinary conditions, current will still be generated for a period of about 30 seconds in an amount sufficient to magnetically retain the armature in engagement with the core, Should reactuation of the device be attempted during this period, such actuation will be prevented by the engagement of the catch with the pin 68, both sides of this catch being straight as indicated. When, due to sufiicient cooling of the thermoelectric device, arm 41 is released, reinitiation of operation of the device may be effected as described above, pin 68 novv being out of the path of movement of catch 10 (until after passage oi the same).

With the parts in Pilot lit position, continued rotation of knob 23 in its operating direction will bring the nger 42 of the gear segment 42 into engagement with pin 61. ment, continued rotation of the knob will cause the segment to rotate the idler gear 28 which, by its engagement with rack 33, will eiect upward movement of the main-closure stem `34 against the bias of spring 3S. Toward the limit of rotation of plate 22, the-other catch B9, because of its inclined leading edge, will pass pin 68, lever 55 being momentarily moved out of engagement with arm 41 in this movement. Therefore, when the knob is released, the parts willfbe retained in the positions shown in Figs. 2 and 4, with the straight side of catch 69 in engagement with pin 68. In this position, as indicated by the legend fBurner on, both the main valve and the suppl-emental valve are in open position.

It will be observed that, under all conditions of operation, the gear segment 4I is rotatable about its pivot and movable relative to the gear 28. When the arm 54 is not magnetically held and the pin 61, carried by that arm, is therefore out of the path of movement of the iinger 42 of segment 4 I, the segment revolves freely around the gear 28; but when the arm 54 is in its magnetically-held vertical position and segment 4l is brought into engagement with pin 61, subsequent movement of the segment relative to gear 28 is so modied that the gear is then driven by the segment.

Should it be desired to close the main-burner valve: while holding knob 23, push-button 9| is momentarily depressed sufficiently to release catch 6!) and the parts are then permitted to return, under the bias of spring 24, to the Pilot lit position with catch 10 in engagement with pin B8. Failure of the pilot burner ame, while the device is in either Burner on or Pilot lit position, eiects return of the device to its 01T position due to the release of catches B9 and 10 when arm 41 is released upon deenergization of the holding core, the bias springs of both the After such engagel main and supplemental valves then being effective to return the valves to closed position. If, without lighting the pilot burner, the knob is turned to the Burner on position, actuation of the main closure member will not be effected since the pin 61 is then out of the path of movement of segment 4 I, and upon release of the knob the parts will immediately return to their normal positions. It will be noted that since the pilot burner is supp-lied with fuel in the Burner on" position, if the pilot burner is then lighted and the parts are retained in Burner on position' long' enough to permit suflicient heating of the thermoelectric device, upon release the parts Will be arrested in the Pilot lit position, since in the back-Ward movement of plate 22 the armature is momentarily brought into engagement with its core and is then magnetically held. It will be noted that the cam surface of plate 22 recedes at the left-hand side of projection 62, so that when the electro-magnet is deenergizedv arm 41 can fall away at any position of'the'camv other than that in which projection 62 is in en'- gagement with roller 60. If it ywere desiredrto hold the main closure member in positions intermediate its full-on and closed positions, that could readily be accomplished by providing additional catches positioned between catches 69 and 10 on plate 22.

While I have herein shown and described, by

rway of illustration, a specific embodimentof my invention as applied vto the 'control of a iuel valve, it is to be understood vthat the 1nvention is also capable of various other applications and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. I intend therefore that my invention be limited only by the scope of the appended claims. To facilitate understanding` of these claims, it is pointed out that the main member recited therein is exemplified, in the speci'c construction illustrated, by the plate 22 which supports elements employed foroperation of the valves, such as the cam means or projection 62 whereby the auxiliary member 54-55 is moved to its active or vertical position, and the'cam 11 which forms part of the rst means for openin'gthe pilot valve. l f I claim as my invention:

1. In a fluid control valve having a first and a second port: a i'irst and a second closure means for the respective ones of said ports means, respectively, biasing said closure means to closed position; a main member for operating said clo- -sure means and having a first position wherein both of said closure means are unaffected by said main member; a rst means, between said main member and said first closure means, arranged so that movement of the main member from its rst to a second position effects opening of said rst port; an auxiliary member; means biasing said auxiliary member to an inactive position; cam means connected for operation by movement of the main member for placing said auxiliary member in an active position only when the main member is substantially in its Second position; means, responsive to a condition whose establishment is dependent upon the rst port being open, for then releasably retaining the auxiliary member in said active position while said condition exists; and means conditioned by the auxiliary member to form, only while the auxiliary member is retained in said active position, an operating coupling, between the main member and said second closure means for opening movement of said second closure means on further movement o f the main member from its second to a third position; said nrst means including means for keeping said first closure means open during said further movement and in the third position of the main member.

2. In a n uid control valve having a first and a second port: a first and a second closure means for the respective ones of said ports means, respectively, biasing said closure means to closed position; va main member for operating said closure means and having a first position wherein both of said closure means are unaffected by said main member; means biasing said main member' to said rst position; a first means, between said main member and said rst closure means, arranged so that movement of the main member from its Yiirst to a second position effects opening of said iirst port; an auxiliary member means biasing said auxiliary member to an inactive posi-tion; cammeans connected for operation by movement of` the main member for placing said auxiliary member in an active position only when the'main member is substantially in its second position; means, responsive to a condition whose establishment is dependent upon the first port being open, for then releasably retaining the auxiliary member in said active position while said condition exists; means controlled by the auxiliary member, and eiective only while the same is retained in said active position, for preventing return of the main member to its first position under the force of its bias so that the first port is then kept open; and means conditioned by the auxiliary member to form, only.

while the auxiliary member is retained in said active position, an operating coupling, between the main member and said second closure means for opening movement of said second closure means on further movement of the main member from its second to a third position; said first means including means for keeping said first closure means open during said further movement and in the third position of the main member.

3. A fluid control valve as defined in claim 2, and including means controlled by said auxiliary member, and effective only while the same is retained in said active position, for latching said main member in said third position wherein said nrst and second ports are open.

4.In a fluid control valve having a main and a pilot port, as well as a main and a pilot closure cooperable respectively with said ports means, respectively, biasing said closures to closed position: a main member for operating said closures and having a rst position wherein both of said closures are unaffected by said main member; means biasing said main member to said first position; a nrst means, between said main member and said pilot closure, arranged so that Inovement of the main member from its iirst to a second position effects opening of said pilot port; an auxiliary member; means biasing said auxiliary member to an inactive position; cam means connected for operation by movement of the main member for placing said auxiliary member in an active position only when the main member is substantially in its second position; means, responsive to a condition Whose establishment is dependent upon the pilot port being open, for then releasably retaining the auxiliary member in said active position only While said condition exists; means forming a lost-motion operating coupling between the main member and said main closure; means controlled by the auxiliary member, and effective only while the same is retained in said active position, for conditioning said lost-motion coupling for opening movement of said main closure on further movement of the main member from its second to a third position; said rst means including means for keeping said pilot closure open during said further movement and in the third position of the main member; and means, controlled by the auxiliary member, and eiective only while the saine is retained in its active position, for selectively latching the main member in its second or third position.

WILLIAM A. RAY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,258,811 Ray Oct. 14, 1941 2,321,095 Mantz June 8, 1943 2,381,926 Ray Aug. 14, 1945 

